Nationwide Arena was filled to capacity last night. Granted, it was half-filled with Pittsburgh Penguins fans, but that is part of the beauty of the new Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh is right down the road, and at the moment, Penguins fans can find seats here that they cannot find there.

If this is some kind of knock on Columbus, it is not a hard knock. Pittsburghers might recall the early 1980s, when the old Igloo was half-full. As recently as the mid-2000s, the Penguins had the worst attendance figures in the NHL — at a time when the Blue Jackets were near capacity.

A harbinger of Columbus’ changing fortunes arrived during the first period last night, when a video announcement was aired on the arena scoreboard. The Blue Jackets have been awarded the 2015 NHL All-Star Game. It drew cheers from everyone in the building, no matter the color of their jersey.

It is official now. The league’s biggest party is coming to Columbus. As we learned when the draft was here in 2007, this is as good a place as any — and better than most.

Last night’s announcement was not exactly a surprise. Columbus was supposed to stage the 2013 All-Star gala, but it was scuttled amid the owners’ lockout. There was a tacit pledge to get the event back here as soon as possible. As it turned out, that is exactly what happened.

The announcement was made jointly by John Davidson, the Jackets’ president of hockey operations; Linda Logan, executive director of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission; Gary Bettman, commissioner of the NHL; and Mayor Michael B. Coleman.

During a brief media confab that followed, there were laughs all around. That is the way these things go. The city is great. Everyone is proud. A lot of people worked hard. Of course, all of these things are true, but if you have heard one of these trot-outs, you have heard them all. Shake hands, slap backs and smile for the cameras.

But if you care about Columbus and its hockey team, and you step back and look at the bigger picture, the All-Star Game fits into a burgeoning theme in the Arena District. The dynamic is changing. Bettman, pulled aside and asked about it, provided some perspective.

“Looking at various factors, to us this franchise is as strong as it has been in some time, if not ever,” Bettman said. “The reorganization last year with Nationwide Insurance and the building was vitally important. The fact that the franchise has a new management component with JD and Jarmo (Kekalainen, the general manager) is another important ingredient.

“On all fronts, on and off the ice, it has more credibility than it has had in some time. As we all know, there have been some difficult times.”

Blue Jackets president Mike Priest made it his duty to press Bettman and the league to redeliver the All-Star Game. Priest, you might recall, was one of the people that fans wanted swept out of the building a couple of years ago. He should stand proud now. He is a link to John H. McConnell and a conduit for McConnell’s heirs. He has shepherded the franchise through difficult times.

Priest was a key player in the deal that swung ownership of Nationwide Arena from the company to the county. There are those who do not like the deal, but in any case, it probably saved the team. It put the terms of the Blue Jackets’ lease in line with the rest of the league. It made for a healthier franchise, which makes for a healthier Arena District, which is good for Downtown.

Priest also understood that he needed a better product to sell, and to that end, he hired Davidson to be the face of the franchise and the brains of hockey operations. That, too, was a brilliant move.

“This (announcement) is recognition, and an affirmation, of what has been going on in Columbus,” Bettman said.

The All-Star Game is coming. Next up for the Jackets: How about an All-Star?

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